For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. – Romans 8:5 (NRSV)
What does it mean to set your mind on things of the Spirit? What about setting your mind on things of the flesh? Does it have anything to do with doing good? Does it have anything to do with living well?
The following story was e-mailed to me:
An ancient Indian sage was teaching his disciples the art of archery. He put a wooden bird as the target and asked them to aim at the eye of the bird. The first disciple was asked to describe what he saw. He said, “I see the trees, the branches, the leaves, the sky, the bird and its eye.”
The sage asked this disciple to wait. Then he asked the second disciple the same question and he replied, “I only see the eye of the bird.” The sage said, “Very good, then shoot.” The arrow went straight and hit the eye of the bird.
Unless we focus, we cannot achieve our goal. It is hard to focus and concentrate, but it is a skill that can be learned.
Our goal is to focus on God so we can live according to the Spirit! In life there is so much that goes on that demands our attention, and often God is rarely focused on. So how do we do it? Some say the best way is to give thanks for every little thing that we can think of. That’s probably a good way to start. As we give thanks our attention is always turned again to God. “God thanks for this running water I use to brush my teeth.” “God thank you that I can taste the sweetness of that fruit.” “God thank you for…” There are millions of reasons to give thanks each day. When we do we begin to look at God, until one day, God is all we see.
With hope and joy,
Garrett
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